EXPLORATIONS 


f\  X  i 


C—  &—> 


f 


FOR  THE 


MISSION  TO  UMZILA’S  KINGDOM. 


SOUTHEASTERN  AFRICA. 


American  2£oarti  of  Commissioners  for  foreign  ^i&sions 


s,  M 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  BOARD, 

1  Somerset  Street. 

1882. 


W.R.FISH  PHOTO -ENG.  BOSTON- 


EXPLORATIONS 


FOR  THE 

MISSION  TO  UMZILA’S  KINGDOM, 


SOUTHEASTERN  AFRICA. 


3Cmmran  23oar&  of  Commissioner^  for  foreign  fissions 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  BOARD, 

l  Somerset  Street. 

1882. 


4 


Mission  to  Umzilas  Kingdom. 


“  Financially  the  place  is  poor,  though  it  has  the  only  good  harbor  for  hun¬ 
dreds  of  miles.  Transport  is  by  porters,  and  they  demand  such  wages  that  there 
is  little  business  done.  Only  two  carts  are  to  be  seen,  though  cattle  can  live  here. 
Bricks,  sand,  and  stone  are  carried  on  the  heads  of  women.  Impoverishing  rum 
is  sold  to  all,  black  as  well  as  white,  without  stint.  Small  rum  shops  are  found 
everywhere,  even  out  among  the  kraals,  and  kept  by  Kaffirs. 

“July  30.  Had  a  pleasant  chat  with  the  governor  to-day,  at  his  office  door. 
He  said  religion  could  be  freely  taught  under  Portuguese  rule,  and  asked  how 
many  Kaffirs  came  to  meeting  last  Sunday.  I  replied,  ‘  None,  but  if  I  have  time 
enough  here  I  will  go  out  among  the  kraals  and  see  what  I  can  do.’  His  Excel- 
lency  smiled  assent.  If  I  can  establish,  as  an  actual  fact,  the  free  preaching  of 
the  gospel  in  English  and  Kaffir  at  Lourenzo  Marques,  this  month  of  waiting 
will  be  well  spent. 

“  As  nearly  as  I  can  now  judge,  Delagoa  Bay  is  not  a  place  more  dangerous  to 
live  in  than  Iroquois  County,  in  Illinois,  was  fifteen  years  ago.  There  have  been 
very  few  deaths  during  the  past  season,  and  those  mostly  from  other  causes  than 
fever.  There  is  a  high  ridge  running  northward,  facing  the  bay,  where  I  think  a 
pretty  healthy  residence  might  be  found.  But  in  some  form,  if  only  by  coming 
from  Natal  and  laboring  for  seven  or  eight  months  of  the  year,  this  important 
place  should  be  enlightened  with  missionary  instruction.  A  shrewd  Englishman 
told  me  yesterday  that  I  had  gone  far  enough  for  this  year.” 

When  the  next  steamer  came  along,  Mr.  Pinkerton  again  embarked,  August 
10,  expecting  to  be  landed  at  Inhambane,  and  was  again  disappointed. 

“A  very  severe  winter  storm  has  prevented  the  steamer  from  going  into  In¬ 
hambane,  so  we  shall  be  carried  to  Zanzibar  [1,400  miles  distant],  and  brought 
back  by  next  steamer.  Again  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  case.  It  is  a  clear  act 
of  God,  in  whom  I  humbly  trust  for  guidance.  The  winter  season  up  here  has 
been  most  unusual ;  floods  of  rain.”  The  steamer  touched  at  Quilimane,  at  the 
entrance  to  the  river  Zambesi,  and  then  at  Mozambique. 

August  14,  he  wrote  :  — 

“  A  new  light  arises.  An  English  exploring  and  hunting  party  is  at  Zanzibar 
and  is  coming  down  by  the  return  steamer.  The  steamer  is  expected  to  tow  a 
dhow,  for  this  expedition,  from  Quilimane  to  a  point  opposite  Sofala,  and  there  let 
go  the  dhow  to  sail  into  port  with  the  expedition.  It  is  thought  altogether  proba¬ 
ble  that  I  can  land  with  this  expedition  at  the  nearest  point  d’appui  to  Umzila’s 
kraal.  Steamers  will  not  attempt,  for  any  consideration,  to  call  at  any  point  be¬ 
tween  Inhambane  and  Quilimane.  The  hidden  dangers  from  sandy  shoals  are 
too  great.  All  concur  in  the  opinion  that  Umzila’s  kraal  is  the  most  important 
strategic  point  at  present  for  new  missions,  in  this  part  of  Africa,  and  urge  me 
to  keep  steadily  on  my  course  thither.  The  fact  that  Umzila’s  Country  has  not 
only  the  sea,  with  the  Portuguese  ports,  in  front,  but  that  it  has  a  secure  back 
door  of  approach  through  the  Transvaal,  is  regarded  as  of  very  great  importance, 
if  I  can  mak^  friends  with  Umzila,  it  will  open  the  country  from  Delagoa  Bay  to 
the  Zambesi.  If  I  get  landed  with  Captain  Wybrants,  at  Sofala  or  Chiluwan,  I 
shall  be  fresh  for  the  short  journey  up  to  the  king’s.  There  are  some  Inham¬ 
bane  Kaffirs  on  board,  who  have  been  to  Umzila’s,  and  who  say  they  will  land 
with  me  and  help  me  to  reach  his  kraal.  A.  very  decent  trader,  who  knows  the 
coast,  is  going  with  us. 


5 


Mr.  Pinkerton' s  Journey. 

“To-day  I  have  been  on  shore  [Zanzibar],  Captain  Wybrants  very  kindly 
offers  to  land  me  with  liis  party  at  Sofala.  Bishop  Steere  and  Dr.  Kirk,  both  of 
them,  received  me  with  great  cordiality  and  show  the  greatest  interest  in  my 
work.  A  Portuguese  officer  on  board  has  given  me  letters  to  a  very  influential 
official  at  Mozambique,  and  also  to  the  Governor  of  Sofala.  The  number  of 
friends  I  am  making,  of  officials  and  other  residents  on  this  Mozambique  coast, 
gives  me  hope.  We  expect  to  sail  southward  on  Thursday,  the  26th.  I  hear 
there  are  Jesuit  missionaries  now  at  Umzila’s.” 

They  sailed  in  due  time.  At  Quilimane,  Captain  Wybrants  kindly  took  Mr. 
Pinkerton  with  his  company  on  board  the  sailing  vessel.  They  started  in  tow  of 
the  steamer,  but  the  weather  proved  rough,  two  hawsers  parted,  and  finally  they 
cast  off  from  the  steamer  and  sailed  back  to  Mozambique. 

“  This  is  an  unexpected  and  bitter  disappointment,  for  it  did  seem  a  most  de¬ 
sirable  and  practicable  thing,  to  take  this  opportunity  of  getting  with  all  my  stores 
to  one  of  the  ports  nearest  Umzila’s.  We  were  almost  there,  as  it  were,  when 
the  breaking  of  a  rope  threw  us  back.  All  advised  me  to  go  to  Sofala  or  there¬ 
abouts  with  Captain  Wybrants.  It  was  regarded  as  an  unusual  and  favorable 
opportunity,  put  right  in  my  way,  and  so  I  hope  it  may  yet  prove.”  He  adds  “  In 
my  own  mind  I  have  been  for  some  weeks  doubtful  whether  it  is  or  ever  has  been 
wise  for  me  to  attempt  getting  to  Umzila’s  kraal  this  spring.  But  nearly  every 
practical  man  on  this  coast  advises  me,  even  urges  me,  to  go  and  make  friends 
with  Umzila,  if  possible.  My  own  thought  is  that  it  might  be  better  to  go  to  In- 
hambane,  hire  a  house  or  build  huts,  get  acquainted,  learn  all  that  is  possible  of 
the  coast  road  to  the  Sabi,  and  go  ahead  next  May.  I  may  yet  go  in  by  the  So¬ 
fala  region,  visit  Umzila,  and  open  communication  with  Inhambane,  or  go  there  ; 
but  I  suspect  it  will  turn  out  that  Inhambane  must  be  our  base,  and  that  we  shall 
have  a  station  there.  We  have  heard  that  the  road  from  Inhambane  to  Umzila’s 
is  dangerous,  which  can  only  be  settled  by  going  to  the  border  of  the  country  and 
finding  out.” 

Captain  Wybrants  made  arrangements  to  proceed  in  his  sailing  vessel  to  Sofala. 
Mr.  Pinkerton,  after  waiting  at  Quilimane  nearly  a  month,  when  the  steamer 
came  along  for  Inhambane,  finally  concluded  to  go  there  instead  of  accompanying 
Captain  Wybrants. 

“  We  left  Quilimane  yesterday,  October  1.  The  weather  is  fine  and  we  ex¬ 
pect  to  go  into  Inhambane  River  to-morrow  afternoon,  if  there  is  no  great  gale 
blowing.  I  pray  him  who  is  mightier  than  the  winds  and  waves  of  the  sea,  to 
make  the  way  open  before  us. 

“  My  assistant,  Mr.  Jourdan,  has  a  touch  of  fever  since  leaving  Mozambique, 
but  I  am  well  thus  far.  Mr.  J.  has  had  the  fever  before,  and  gets  over  it  soon.  As 
Inhambane  is  said  to  be  the  healthiest  of  the  Portuguese  ports  here,  I  hope  we 
may  be  well  while  there,  and  get  up  to  Umzila’s  in  due  time. 

“  I  alluded  in  a  former  letter  to  my  reasons  for  not  trying  to  go  now ,  from 
Quilimane  to  Umzila’s,  via  Gorongoso.  My  judgment  may  turn  out  to  be  incor¬ 
rect,  but  the  risk  of  failure  to  get  through  the  region  of  Manica  seemed  too  great 
for  me,  a  stranger  to  Umzila,  to  make  the  attempt.  All  local  accounts  represent 
the  Landeens,  under  Umzila’s  orders,  as  very  jealous  of  any  white  men  going  to 
Manica,  on  account  of  its  gold-fields.  Accordingly,  I  think  progress  will  be  much 
surer  at  first  from  Inhambane.  After  we  get  acquainted,  the  route  by  Quilimane 
may  be  the  best. 


6 


Mission  to  Umzila's  Kingdom. 


“ 1  think  the  main-land  about  Mozambique  is  a  field  that  some  missionary  so¬ 
ciety  will  find  open.  The  port  is  good,  and  communication  is  regular.  Very 
comfortable  houses  can  be  rented  or  purchased  cheaply.  There  is  some  fever, 
but  not  the  worst.  There  is  high,  mountainous  land  within  twenty-five  miles 
northward,  where  a  mission  might  find  a  salubrious  place,  but  the  natives  are  hos¬ 
tile  to  the  Portuguese.  The  language  is  said  to  be  Makua.  No  Zulu  is  un- 
derstood  there. 

“  Captain  Wybrants  expected  to  sail  from  Mozambique  for  Sofala,  in  a  small 
sailing  vessel,  soon  after  I  left.  If  he  gets  on  well  we  shall  have  a  full  exploration 
of  those  regions,  which  will  help  the  Board  in  its  new  work. 

INHAMBANE  :  THE  COUNTRY  AND  CLIMATE. 

“  October  2.  We  are  anchored  off  Inhambane,  waiting  for  high  tide.  The 
weather  is  just  what  I  have  prayed  for,  perfect.  The  coast  is  higher  than  else¬ 
where  this  side  of  Natal ;  looks  like  the  coast  there.  I  trust  all  will  be  favorable 
on  shore  to  our  successful  progress. 

“  j Evening.  Safe  in  the  river.  Prospects  are  favorable,  so  far  as  first  impres¬ 
sions  go.  Steamer  goes  to-morrow,  so  I  cannot  give  you  much  information  till 
next  month. 

“  I  am  now  at  the  borders  of  the  Gasa  country,  at  a  place  where  there  is  not 
very  much  fever  at  any  time.  I  will  try  to  act  with  vigor  and  wisdom  to  promote 
the  object  for  which  I  am  sent  here.  Do  not  cease  to  pray  for  me  and  this  work.” 

At  Inhambane  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  most  hospitably  received  and  entertained  by 
Mr.  J.  D.  Schippers,  agent  for  the  Handels-Compagnie. 

“  To-day,  October  6,  1880,  I  called  on  the  Governor,  with  Mr.  Schippers.  Ilis 
Excellency  greeted  me  with  a  warm  welcome  to  this  province  ;  said  he  had  seen 
much  of  the  good  work  done  by  American  missionaries  on  the  West  Coast,  and 
that  he  should  encourage  me  to  the  utmost.  He  insisted  on  turning  out  plenty 
of  Kaffirs  to  carry  my  goods  right  up  to  opposite  Bazaruto.  So,  wonderful  pro¬ 
vision  seems  to  have  been  made  for  me  here.  The  acquaintance  I  formed  during 
my  trying  delays  at  Delagoa  Bay  and  Mozambique  have  helped  me  greatly.  Now 
if  I  am  given  humility  and  skill  and  strength  rightly  to  use  this  official  favor,  it 
will  be  a  great  help  in ’getting  directly  and  quickly  into  the  confidence  of  a  large 
number  of  people  of  more  than  one  race,  and  open  a  field  for  the  Board  in  East 
Africa,  which  is  of  the  highest  strategic  importance,  and  which  will  tax  its  powers 
rightly  to  improve.  No  time  should  be  lost  in  securing  the  right  kind  of  young 
men,  who  can  work  with  enthusiasm,  and  who,  learning  Portuguese  to  some  ex¬ 
tent,  and  Zulu  well,  will  come  and  take  up  this  work.  .  .  .  The  Governor  pro¬ 
poses  to  send  me  directly  across  country  to  Uinzila.’’ 

October,  1880,  Monday  morning,  he  wrote  :  — 

“I  am  all  ready  to  start;  the  men  to  carry  my  things  have  been  enrolled  and 
paid  by  government;  a  few  of  them  are  on  hand.  The  first  rains  have  begun  ; 
it  is  very  cool,  and  if  we  are  once  fairly  on  the  road,  it  is  the  best  time  to  march 
just  now.  I  am  feeling  the  full  force  of  tiresome  African  delays,  but  I  hope  to 
bear  up  through  them  all  and  get  to  Umzila’s,  and  do  what  we  hope  to  accom¬ 
plish,  i.  e.,  establish  a  mission  there,  or  prepare  the  way  to  do  so.  People  here 
think  I  shall  have  only  the  ordinary  inconveniences  of  going  a  long  journey 
among  the  kraals,  with  very  good  preparation  for  doing  so.  As  heretofore  my 


7 


Country  and  Climate  of  Inhambane. 

own  health  is  at  my  best,  no  touch  of  fever,  but  I  cannot  say  as  much  for  Mr. 
Jourdan  and  John  Pohleni.  They  have  had  a  little  fever,  but  I  hope  regular 
work  at  the  land  journey  will  occupy  them,  and  be  favorable  for  them.  I  have 
been  all  the  time  so  busy  with  mind  and  body,  that  it  has  helped,  I  think,  to  keep 
me  so  well. 

“  October  22.  Tyipambu’s  (or  Chipumbu’s),  northern  part  of  Inhambane 
Province.  You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  we  are  about  fifty  miles  north  from  In¬ 
hambane,  walking  to  Umzila’s,  under  what  seem  to  be  most  favorable  conditions. 
We  left  Inhambane  last  Tuesday  morning  in  a  launch,  and  came  to  the  northern 
point  of  the  bay,  perhaps  twenty  miles,  to  a  place  owned  by  Captain  La  Forte, 
where  we  spent  the  night.  We  had  eighteen  porters,  and  a  colored  sergeant, 
who  is  our  head  man  in  charge.  One  young  woman  goes  with  her  husband. 
This  is  a  very  good  thing  for  us,  as  a  woman  makes  the  party  less  like  an  army. 
The  weather  has  been  perfect,  air  fine,  and  we  have  come  from  chief  to  chief, 
having  food  in  abundance  given  us,  and  getting  a  few  men  at  each  chief’s  to 
carry  loads  to  the  next  chief’s.  This  morning  two  petty  chiefs  carried  loads  for 
us  on  their  own  heads.  They  do  this  in  kindness  to  the  porters,  who  are  mostly 
of  their  own  Tonga  race.  The  fact  that  our  party  is  under  government  patronage 
doubtless  helps  us. 

“  The  Inhambane  government  insisted  on  helping  me  get  to  Umzila’s,  and  on 
supporting  me  by  sending  up  supplies  and  stores  after  me.  Commandant  La 
Forte  has  selected  men  who  he  thinks  will  place  me  at  Umzila’s  kraal,  and  dur¬ 
ing  these  four  days  of  our  march  thus  far  they  have  done  splendidly.  The  gov¬ 
ernment  has  paid  these  men  liberally  in  advance.  Everybody  in  Inhambane 
took  great  interest  in  the  expedition. 

“  There  was  more  or  less  rain  during  the  week  before  we  left  Inhambane.  Be- 
fore  that  the  heat  was  severe,  but  this  week  is  fair  and  cool.  The  country  thus 
far  is  much  covered  with  bush.  The  villages  are  some  miles  apart.  We  cannot 
talk  about  wagons  at  present.  My  own  course  for  the  near  future,  as  to  whether 
I  remain  at  Umzila’s,  or  return  soon  to  Inhambane,  will  be  determined  by  provi¬ 
dential  circumstances.  If  the  king  is  willing,  I  may  try  to  remain  until  April,  and 
then  meet  Brother  Richards  somewhere,  and  bring  him  in,  with  another  mission¬ 
ary,  of  course.  Communication  from  here  with  Natal  and  America  requires  time, 
but  I  will  do  my  best  to  keep  the  latest  news  reported,  and  I  trust  no  time 
will  be  lost  in  getting  arrangements  perfected  to  place  reenforcements  in  this  field. 
They  should  land  not  earlier  than  May  1,  and  then,  the  sooner  the  better.  I  will 
try  to  see  what  can  be  done  with  a  party  if  it  lands  at  Chiluwan.  Possibly  we 
can  arrange  to  take  a  party  from  Inhambane  to  Chiluwan,  in  a  small  sailing 
cutter.  Some  of  the  smaller  steamers  might  get  in  at  Chiluwan,  but  the  many 
miles  of  sandbank  off  that  port,  with  shallow  water,  make  it  dangerous  until  better 
known. 

ON  THE  ROAD. 

“This  is  our  third  day  of  marching.  We  are  tired,  but  have  got  along  splen¬ 
didly.  We  are  at  the  kraal  of  the  last  chief  in  the  country  ruled  by  the  Portu¬ 
guese.  My  men  all  behave  admirably.  I  have  a  road  cook,  who  went  up  with 
Benningfield.,  and  has  been  well  trained. 

“  My  expedition  to  Umzila’s  has  been  a  taking  and  very  popular  thing  among 
the  natives,  as  well  as  the  Portuguese.  If  it  is  as  popular  in  Umzila’s  Country 


8 


Mission  to  Umzila,s  Kingdom. 


my  way  will  be  easy.  The  Lord  is  giving  me  a  fine  start.  May  be  also  give  me 
wisdom  to  improve  it.  The  native’s  huts  are  much  better  than  those  in  Natal. 
Last  night  I  slept  on  a  rough  bedstead.  I  have  just  had  some  porridge  made  of 
beautiful  fine  meal.  Corn  is  here  pounded  in  large  wooden  mortars.  The  coun¬ 
try  has  much  hush,  and  it  would  he  unpleasant  traveling  in  the  most  rainy  part 
of  the  year.  There  are  different  dialects  spoken,  but  Zulu  is  everywhere  under¬ 
stood.  The  custom  of  saluting  each  other  by  clapping  hands  holds  among  the 
people  here.  I  do  not  see  any  cattle.  The  people  fear  Umzila’s  Zulus.  The 
road  is  crooked  and  winding  in  places,  but  there  are  not  any  high  or  steep  hills  ; 
there  is  a  little  sand  in  places. 

“  John  Pohleni  started  from  Inhambane  sick  with  fever,  hut  marching  has 
brought  him  up.  My  men  have  heavy  loads,  yet  they  sometimes  run  out  of  the 
path,  prancing  about  in  the  bush  with  their  loads  on  their  heads.  I  feel  more  at 
home  than  since  we  left  Natal  last  year.  I  do  not  know  that  any  missionary  ever 
went  along  here  before.  I  am  preaching  and  teaching  Christ  in  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth,  now  as  never  before.  The  natives  here  are  even  in  denser 
darkness  than  those  about  Indunduma  when  we  went  there. 

“  2 od  October ,  noon.  A  long  march  this  morning,  in  cool  air,  has  set  us  eight 
miles  on  our  way.  Passed  much  swamp  and  fine  bush.  Crossed  a  fine  swift 
stream  of  beautiful  water.  Soil  is  more  fertile.  Very  little  high  grass,  burnt  and 
not  grown. 

“  Sunday  afternoon.  We  are  resting  to-day.  We  had  a  meeting  this  morning  ; 
a  good  number  present.  This  is  among  the  untaught  heathen.  But  for  my  com¬ 
ing  it  might  be  long  before  the  voice  of  a  Christian  teacher  was  heard  in  this 
bush.  May  God  bless  our  effort.  Next  Sunday  we  hope  to  be  well  along  toward 
the  Sabi  River.  We  go  rather  slowly,  but  get  comfortable  huts  to  sleep  in,  better 
than  the  huts  in  Natal.  We  get  beautiful  meal,  both  of  mealy  and  amabell. 
There  is  said  to  be  plenty  in  the  regions  ahead.  Marching  does  not  tire  me  as 
much  as  I  expected.  I  waste  no  strength  at  hunting  or  going  after  curiosities. 
I  push  for  the  main  object  only,  with  all  my  energy.  When  not  shortening  the 
distance  between  Umzila  and  me  I  rest. 

“  Monday  noon,  October  25.  We  have  made  a  long  and  delightful  march  this  nice 
morning,  and  are  resting  at  Tyungu’s  kraal  for  dinner.  This  is  a  bush  country, 
rather  sandy,  mostly  level  ground.  No  such  hills  as  in  Natal.  It  is  much  more 
of  an  Illinois  country  than  anything  else.  I  shall  send  this  letter  back  from  the 
last  Portuguese  police  kraal  to-morrow.  Then  we  go  into  the  regions  which  are 
ruled  by  Umzila,  but  we  shall  still  be  among  Tongas,  and  my  men  are  Tongas, 
and  we  get  on  well  with  Tongas  so  far.  I  am  visiting  all  the  petty  chiefs  and 
head  men  on  the  road.  We  are  taking  the  road  near  the  coast,  although  it  is 
longer  than  au  inland  path.  But  our  road  has  good  water  all  the  way,  and  the 
other  has  not.  If  all  is  well  we  shall  reach  the  Sabi  some  time  next  week,  and 
I  presume  we  may  reach  Umzila’s  kraal  on  the  following  week.  Thus  the  cul¬ 
mination  of  my  long  journey  is  rapidly  approaching,  and  the  exciting  interest  in 
its  full  success  deepens  as  we  move  forward.  God  hath  helped  and  will  help  us. 
Continue  steadfast  in  prayer  for  us. 

“  Wednesday  October  27,  a.  m.  We  are  at  the  border,  more  than  ninety  miles 
by  path  north  of  Inhambane,  and  a  little  south  of  Bazaruto.  All  well;  weather 
fine.  We  go  right  on.” 


9 


Death  of  Mr.  Pinkerton. 

The  next  word  was  a  telegram  received  from  Natal,  December  8,  1880  :  — 

“  Pinkerton  died,  fever,  tenth  November,  Jourdan  returns.” 

Mr.  Jourdan  continues  the  history  as  follows  :  — 

“  We  left  Inharnbane  on  October  19,  for  Umzila’s  Country,  and  everything 
went  on  very  well  until  November  3,  when  we  suddenly  came  into  a  famine  coun¬ 
try.  Here,  Mr.  Pinkerton  made  up  his  mind  to  send  me  back  with  part  of  our 
boys.  I  refused  to  go  back  unless  all  went,  and  so  we  sent  John  back  with  five 
boys  to  buy  food.  We  stayed  at  this  kraal  waiting  for  John  till  Friday  morning, 
when  he  came  back  with  about  two  days’  food  for  the  men,  and  we  again  started, 
and  on  Friday  night,  November  5,  came  to  Bakot’s  kraal.  We  rested  here  for 
the  night,  intending  to  start  again  in  the  morning,  but  Mr.  Pinkerton  not  feeling 
very  well  we  determined  to  stay  here  until  Monday  morning.  On  Sunday  morn¬ 
ing  he  felt  no  worse  and  no  better.  I  advised  him  to  let  me  take  him  back,  but 
this  he  would  not  consent  to  until  the  following  Tuesday,  when  he  consented. 
At  that  time  he  was  much  worse,  and  was  growing  more  so  every  hour.  I  was 
up  with  him  all  Tuesday  night,  and  at  about  4  A.  m.,  on  Wednesday,  he  told  me 
to  take  him  out  of  the  hut  and  carry  him  away  to  the  bush  :  ‘  For,’  said  he,  ‘  if  I 
die  in  this  hut,  the  natives  will  murder  you.’  These  were  the  last  words  he  ever 
spoke.  I  got  all  the  boys  together,  and  put  Mr.  Pinkerton  in  a  hammock  and 
started.  I  came  to  the  Gabulu  River,  which  I  had  to  cross  in  canoes.  I  got 
everything  over  all  right.  This  was  about  11.30  a.  m.,  of  November  10.  I  had 
been  across  about  half  an  hour  when  Mr.  Pinkerton  quietly  breathed  his  last. 
He  had  his  senses  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  but  was  too  weak  to  speak.  I  was 
obliged  to  bury  him  the  same  day,  and  I  did  so  at  4  p.  m.,  John  reading  the  fune¬ 
ral  service  in  Zulu.  The  place  where  he  is  buried  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Gabulu  River  overlooking  the  ferry,  under  a  large  moss-covered  tree.  Latitude 
21°  15'  South.  Longitude  34°  45’  East. 

“After  we  had  buried  Mr.  Pinkerton  we  again  started  on  our  march  back,  and 
arrived  at  Inharnbane  on  November  26,  after  a  hard  march  of  fourteen  days.” 

In  the  Missionary  Herald  for  March,  1881,  will  be  found  a  sketch  of  the  life  of 
this  pioneer  to  Umzila’s  Country. 

MR.  RICHARDS  TAKES  UP  THE  WORK. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  expected  to  return  to  Natal,  and  “  to  take  in  Brother  Richards 
and  another  missionary,”  in  April,  1881. 

Rev.  Erwin  H.  Richards  and  his  wife  left  America,  October  9,  1880,  and 
reached  Natal,  to  learn,  before  they  landed  from  the  steamer,  that  Mr.  Pinkerton 
had  fallen  by  the  way  ;  “  sadly  disappointed,  because  it  would  discourage  the 
effort  to  establish  the  mission  in  Umzila’s  Land,  and  also  because  of  the  great 
loss  the  mission  suffers  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Pinkerton.”  Mr.  Richards  had  no 
thought  of  giving  up  the  undertaking.  “  I  can  get  but  little  experience  and  less 
knowledge  of  the  language  between  now  and  next  May.  But  what  there  is  of 
me  will  be  ready  to  start  and  undertake  the  work,  if  you  deem  it  prudent  to  let 
me  go.  Mrs.  Richards  is  just  as  ready  to  do  all  a  woman  can  do,  and  will  go  if 
there  is  any  prospect  of  success.  But  we  feel  as  if  some  experienced  head,  and 
one  who  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  language,  ought  to  go  with  us.  We 
are  very  anxious  to  have  the  mission  carried  on,  and  hope  you  may  find  some 
man  to  take  Mr.  Pinkerton’s  place.” 


10 


Mission  to  Umzila  s  Kingdom. 


The  mission  in  Natal  was  just  then  weakened  by  the  return  of  two  of  the  breth¬ 
ren,  for  imperative  reasons,  to  the  United  States.  There  was  no  one  with  suffi¬ 
cient  health  who  could  be  spared  for  Umzila’s  Country.  After  frequent  discus¬ 
sions,  in  which  the  decision  preponderated,  sometimes  in  favor  of  deferring,  and 
sometimes  in  favor  of  renewing  the  expedition,  the  mission  finally  consented  to 
allow  Mr.  Richards  alone,  with  Mr.  Jourdan,  who  accompanied  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
and  two  native  brethren,  to  take  up  the  work  Mr.  Pinkerton  laid  down. 

In  consultation  with  those  best  acquainted  with  the  region,  arrangements  were 
perfected  to  insure  success  as  far  as  possible.  It  was  decided  to  go  in  by  Sofala 
or  Chiluwan.  As  the  steamer  would  only  take  the  company  to  Inhambane,  and 
would  not  touch  at  Sofala,  a  vessel  was  chartered  for  transportation  from  Inham¬ 
bane  to  Sofala,  May  12,  1881.  Mr.  Jonrdan  went  in  advance  to  Inhambane,  to 
have  everything  ready  there.  May  22,  Mr.  Richards  (his  wife  remaining  in 
Natal  and  assisting  in  one  of  the  mission  schools)  embarked  at  Durban  on  board 
the  schooner  Dee,  with  John  Pohleni,  and  William  of  Inanda.  With  their  goods 
they  took  two  donkeys  for  riding.  On  reaching  Inhambane,  the  aspect  of  things 
changed  so  much  that  it  was  thought  wisest  to  give  up  the  voyage  further  to 
Sofala,  and  instead  to  go  inland  from  Inhambane.  Mr.  Richards  and  his  company 
le'ft  this  place  accordingly,  June  22,  with  everything  propitious.  His  own  letter 
uells  the  story  most  vividly. 

“Durban,  Natal,  May  20,  1881. 

“  I  find  myself  just  on  the  eve  of  departure  for  Inhambane  and  thence  to  Chil¬ 
uwan.  In  accordance  with  the  advice  of  our  committee  here,  I  have  chartered 
Mr.  Rufus  Benningfield’s  schooner,  called  the  Dee,  from  Inhambane  to  Chil¬ 
uwan.  Our  cargo  will  go,  according  to  the  usual  freight  rates,  to  Inhambane. 
My  native  force  consists  of  William  of  Inanda,  and  John  Pohleni,  who  is  to  be 
all  the  interpreter  I  am  to  have.  Mr.  Jourdan  sailed  last  Thursday,  for  Delagoa 
Bay,  and  will  sail  from  there  on  the  22d  of  May.  He  will  not  reach  Inhambane 
more  than  three  days  before  I  do,  if  we  are  favored  by  the  winds.  I  have,  at  the 
last  moment,  secured  two  donkeys,  together  with  sufficient  forage.  All  of  our 
goods  are  on  board.  I  intend  to  remain  long  enough  to  gain  the  favor  of  Umzila, 
and  to  prove  the  ability  of  a  missionary  to  remain  in  health  in  that  country,  God 
being  with  us. 

“  I  have  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Umzila,  from  Bishop  Colenso.  He  sends 
his  private  card  as  a  token,  which  Umzila  has  seen  before  and  will  recognize. 
I  also  have  had  letters  from  the  Colonial  Secretary  of  Natal  to  the  Portuguese 
authorities  at  Inhambane,  and  from  Dr.  Stuart  to  the  Governor  of  Inhambane.” 

DECIDES  TO  GO  BY  LAND  FROM  INHAMBANE. 

“  Inhambane,  June  15,  1881. 

“  Since  I  last  wrote  you,  much  has  transpired  of  vital  interest  to  the  present 
expedition.  I  left  Natal,  as  I  wrote,  on  the  22d  of  May,  in  Mr.  Benningfield’s 
schooner,  the  Dee.  We  had  calms  and  bad  winds,  and  very  rough  sea,  till,  in 
the  end,  we  did  not  reach  this  place  till  the  7th  of  June.  On  landing,  I  met  Mr. 
Jourdan,  who  had  been  here  some  ten  days,  and  he  had  been  very  thoroughly  ad¬ 
vised  to  go  from  this  place  to  Umzila’s  by  land.  I  met  Mr.  Schippers,  of  the 
Holland  Handels’  Compagnie,  who  so  very  kindly  boarded  Mr.  Pinkerton,  and 
aided  him  in  many  essential  matters ;  and  he  immediately  took  his  men  and 


11 


Mr.  Richards  takes  up  the  Work. 

rowed  me  across  the  Bay  to  the  Governor’s  residence,  distance  two  miles.  The 
Governor  received  us  very  cordially  indeed.  I  presented  my  letters  from  the 
Colonial  Secretary  of  the  Natal  Government,  and  they  were  received  favorably, 
the  Governor  telling  me  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  aid  me.  His  remarks 
were  to  the  purport  that  he  would  provide  as  many  men  as  I  needed,  to  go  by 
land  from  this  place  to  Umzila’s,  we  going  direct  from  his  province  into  Umzila’s 
Country ;  but  that  if  I  went  to  Chiluwan,  as  I  intended,  he  could  assure  me  of  no 
favors,  but  would  give  me  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Chiluwan.  I  then  consulted 
my  best  reasoning  powers,  and  after  prayer  for  guidance,  I  consented  to  accept 
tbe  Governor’s  kind  assistance  and  go  by  land  from  this  place  to  Umzila’s.  I 
have  since  had  no  reason  to  change  my  plans. 

I  am  assured,  by  the  Governor,  of  porters,  who  will  land  me  safely  at  Um¬ 
zila’s,  and  will  return  with  me,  bearing  my  goods,  as  many  as  I  choose  to  bring 
back.  I  am  also  assured  that  if  /hire  the  men,  they  will  go  nicely  one  or  two 
days  and  then  they  will  become  suddenly  ill,  and  my  goods  must  be  left.  This 
is  the  custom  here,  and  traders  have  great  difficulty.  They  pay  from  kraal  to 
kraal,  and  are  subject  to  great  inconveniences,  and  there  is  no  redress. 

“  I  had  planned  to  sail  up  to  Chiluwan  and  walk  from  there  to  Umzila’s,  and 
from  there  back  to  Inhambane.  If  I  walk  up  to  Umzila’s  and  go  from  there  to 
Chiluwan,  and  from  Chiluwan  return  to  this  place  by  ‘lighter’,  the  walking  dis¬ 
tance  will  be  the  same.  There  are  two  lighters  at  Chiluwan  capable  of  carrying 
eighteen  tons  (ship)  each,  and  they  can  be  hired  to  come  to  Inhambane. 

“I  now  intend  to  come  back  via  Chiluwan,  but  if  Umzila  gives  me  credible  as¬ 
surance  that  next  season  he  will  send  carriers  forme,  so  that  there  will  be  no  diffi¬ 
culty  at  Chiluwan  in  securing  porters,  I  may  or  may  not  come  that  way.  Chiluwan 
is  a  very  low,  fever-breeding  district,  and  I  do  not  care  to  reach  there  in  Septem¬ 
ber  or  after.  July  is  quite  safe.  The  Governor  tells  me  he  will  send  me  by  the 
middle  route  from  this  place  to  Umzila’s.  This  is  high  land  most  of  the  way, 
and  Umzila’s  kraal  can  be  reached  in  twenty-one  days  marching  from  this  place. 
It  is  only  seven  days  from  Umzila’s  to  Chiluwan.  Porters  will  make  the  journey 
in  this  time,  if  I  can  stand  it.  But  I  shall  go  slowly  and  not  make  great  speed.  I 
have  the  full  congratulations  of  all  the  people  here  in  my  choice  of  season,  and  am 
assured  that  there  is  plenty  of  food  to  be  had  for  small  pay. 

“  As  I  told  you,  I  landed  here  on  June  7,  and  the  same  day  I  assented  to  the 
Governor’s  proposal  to  supply  me  men.  lie  said  they  would  be  ready  in  ten  days, 
and  in  seven  days  a  sergeant  of  the  Portuguese  army  marched  forty-three  men 
into  my  door-yard,  and  I  took  their  names ;  but  when  I  inquired  how  much  pay 
they  wanted,  I  was  surprised  at  their  demand  of  twenty  pieces  of  cloth.  I  told 
the  Governor  that  I  preferred  to  pay  for  the  men,  and  asked  him  to  set  the  prices. 
He  reluctantly  consented,  and  said  I  should  pay  the  same  as  they  had  before, 
namely,  ten  pieces  of  blue  cloth  of  eight  yards  each,  at  three  shillings  a  piece,  i.  e. 
thirty  shillings.  When  the  men  refused,  I  sent  for  advice  from  the  Governor. 
He  sent  to  the  chief  of  native  affairs,  and  the  answer  was  returned  while  the  men 
waited,  that  every  one  who  wished  more  than  ten  pieces  should  go  home  and 
more  men  be  supplied  in  their  places.  They  all  went  but  six.  To-day  the  ser¬ 
geant  placed  forty-five  other  men  on  file  before  Captain  Laporte,  and  he  regis¬ 
tered  them  and  sent  them  to  me.  Ten  men  came  in  and  I  took  their  names,  and 
gave  them  ten  pieces  each,  they  promising  an  early  start  on  Monday,  the  20th. 


12 


Mission  to  Umzila  s  Kingdom. 


The  rest  of  the  men  will  present  themselves  to-morrow.  This  is  native  custom, 
and  owing  to  the  great  abuse  of  the  natives  by  some  traders,  payment  for  services 
must  be  made  invariably  in  advance.  When  my  forty-one  boxes  were  landed 
from  the  ship,  Mr.  Schippers  had  to  stand  on  the  beach  with  a  bag  of  coppers  in 
his  hand  and  pay  each  man  a  half-penny  before  he  went  to  the  ship,  or  he  could 
not  get  a  man ;  and  as  soon  as  the  native  gets  enough  half-pennies  for  a  drink, 
off  he  goes  and  you  will  see  him  no  more  for  that  day.” 

INHAMBANE  A  FIELD  FOR  MISSIONS. 

“  Inhambane  is  on  a  low  flat  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  bay,  while  on  the  opposite 
side  there  is  a  beautiful  range  of  hills  free  from  fever  the  year  round.  There  are 
more  than  60,000  natives  in  and  around  this  place,  and  Mr.  Schippers  is  surprised 
that  no  one  sends  missionaries  here.  I  think  the  range  of  hills  to  the  north  of 
Inhambane  cannot  be  equaled  for  situation,  and  as  near  as  I  can  learn  there  are 
upwards  of  100,000  natives  within  reach  of  a  mission,  and  nearly  all  would  readily 
understand  the  Zulu.  Mr.  Pinkerton  recommended  this  place  very  highly.  I 
shall  know  more  when  I  have  been  through  it.  Inhambane  is  not  a  desirable 
place  in  which  to  reside,  by  any  means.  It  is  composed  entirely  of  convicts  sent 
out  from  Portugal,  with  a  few  officers  and  soldiers  from  home. 

“  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  shall  remain  at  Umzila’s.  I  will  do  all  that  will 
insure  success,  and  will  keep  my  eyes  open  for  a  suitable  place  for  a  mission. 
Mr.  Benningfield  tells  me  to  remain  but  a  short  time  at  Umzila’s  headquarters, 
to  do  my  business  and  then  come  away.  I  am  anticipating  a  pleasant  journey 
and  a  fair  reception  by  Umzila. 

“  Father  Blanco,  who  was  sent  out  from  Italy,  and  who  came  via  Cape  Town, 
Free  States,  and  the  Transvaal,  to  the  Matabele  country,  and  thence  to  Inham¬ 
bane,  has  just  called  on  me.  We  had  a  very  friendly  visit.  He  had  been  wait¬ 
ing  to  hear  from  his  missionaries,  Catholics,  who  went  to  Umzila’s  from  Matabele- 
land.  Last  evening  a  messenger  returned  bringing  no  tidings  of  any  kind,  and 
Blanco  thinks  his  men  must  have  gone  back  to  Matabele-land.  lie  will  go  to 
Natal  by  the  first  steamer.  He  assured  me  that  Umzila’s  land  was  very  low,  wet, 
and  inhospitable,  which  I  have  no  other  reason  at  present  to  believe  true.  He 
said  Father  Law  went  with  oxen  and  wagons  to  Umzila’s  via  Matabele-land. 

“  Saturday ,  June  18.  It  has  rained  for  three  days  and  my  plans  have  been  hin¬ 
dered  somewhat  in  consequence.  The  men  have  not  all  come  yet.  I  expect  to 
get  started  as  soon  as  Wednesday,  the  22d,  at  least.  Mr.  Benningfield  mounted  a 
horse  and  with  a  heavy  ox-whip,  he  —  as  did  Mr.  Erskine —  compelled  his  men  to 
come  up  to  their  agreements.  But  such  means  are  not  for  us  to  use,  and  I  must 
wait  as  patiently  as  I  can  till  all  is  prepared.  If  I  am  delayed  long  I  will  write 
again.” 

ON  THE  ROAD. 

Mr.  Richards  wrote  again  from  Maganga,  July  2d :  — 

“  We  left  the  point  across  the  bay  from  Inhambane  on  June  24th,  and  during 
the  seven  days  of  marching  we  have  traveled  414  kilometers.  The  paths  in 
Africa  are  very  crooked,  and  we  go  in  a  zigzag  line  most  of  the  way.  My  loads 
are  very  heavy  ;  the  provisions  are  encased  in  tin,  and  the  tin  in  wood,  each  case 
containing  forty  pounds  weight,  and  the  case  making  the  whole  weight  sixty-one 
pounds,  while  thirty-five  is  far  better.  The  gross  weight  of  the  loads  is  a  ton  and 


On  the  Road. 


13 


a  half.  I  have  forty-five  porters,  one  cook,  two  native  preachers,  and  a  Portu¬ 
guese  sergeant.  My  men  complain  little,  although  at  the  end  of  one  hour’s 
march  they  will  tremble  under  their  loads,  and  perspire  very  freely.  The  people, 
without  exception,  are  very  kind.  We  have  abundance  of  food  at  no  cost  what¬ 
ever.  It  is  no  light  draft  on  a  kraal  to  supply  fifty  men  with  food,  and  especially 
native  porters.  A  week  ago  to-day  a  native  chief  asked  me  to  stop  with  him, 
and  be  his  missionary,  and  yesterday  Ianbye,  a  dignified  chief,  asked  me  to  send 
to  America  for  a  teacher  for  him.  How  I  hope  for  the  same  success  at  Um- 
zila’s !  , 

“  My  native  men  are  John  Pohleni  and  William  of  Inanda.  While  we  stopped 
for  dinner  yesterday  William  got  the  whole  kraal  together  and  preached  to  them. 

“  Every  day  but  one  we  have  had  an  airy,  cool,  dry  path.  I  should  think 
fever  would  not  be  found  here.  There  is  much  bush,  and  oxen  would  not  find 
water.  My  donkeys  are  of  very  great  help.  I  ride  more  than  half  the  way. 
There  seem  to  be  a  great  many  people  here,  and  they  would  respect  a  missionary. 
We  are  ‘one  day  from  the  sea,’  so  the  natives  all  say;  but  this  means  any  dis¬ 
tance  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  miles.  We  are  to  the  west  of  Mr.  Pinkerton’s 
route,  on  what  is  called  the  middle  way.  I  have  enjoyed  the  way  very  much. 
Our  preparations  seem  to  have  been  complete,  save  the  medicine  chest,  which 
was  left  in  Durban,  and  we  have  no  need  of  that  yet. 

“  I  saw  some  of  Umzila’s  people  last  night.  They  had  guns,  and  had  been  out 
on  a  hunt.  They  were  friendly,  and  I  am  quite  hopeful  that  I  shall  succeed 
among  such  men.  We  are  well  received  wherever  we  go,  and  I  hope  we  may  be 
among  Umzila’s  people. 

“  I  have  prayers  with  my  men  every  morning  just  before  starting.  We  eat  by 
candle-light  in  the  morning,  starting  at  about  half  past  seven  o’clock,  and  at  four 
in  the  afternoon  we  come  to  a  halt.  Tne  villages  are  not  arranged  to  favor  trav¬ 
elers,  and  the  days  are  very  short.  It  is  dark  about  five  o’clock,  p.  m.,  and  not 
light  until  six  and  a  half  A.  m.  Some  days  we  have  to  go  far,  and  some  days  we 
have  to  stop  at  noon,  because  we  cannot  make  the  next  kraal  or  village.  I  have 
the  best  there  is  at  every  place.  The  nights  are  quite  chilly.  I  have  always  a 
native  hut  to  sleep  in.  Sometimes  it  is  quite  nice  and  clean,  and  sometimes  all 
filth  and  insects.  The  thermometer  stands  at  about  55°  at  six  o’clock,  a.  m.,  and 
at  noon  it  is  about  80°. 

“I  hope  to  reach  the  Sabi  River  next  week,  and  Umzila’s  in  ten  days  more, 
but  cannot  tell  how  we  shall  get  on.  1  have  not  had  to  pay  once  for  food  for  my 
men.  I  do  not  know  how  it  will  be  after  to-day,  but  I  suppose  I  must  pay  for 
everything  at  the  rate  of  about  two  yards  of  cloth  for  a  day’s  food  for  man  and 
beast. 

“If  you  were  here  to-day  you  would  see  me  writing  under  abundant  shadows. 
About  twenty  natives  are  watching  every  move  to  see  if  they  cannot  learn  how  it 
is  done.  I  gave  one  a  piece  of  paper  and  a  copy,  and  he  performed  about  as  well 
as  a  child  of  three  years  would  do. 

“  We  have  found  no  water  for  two  days  except  in  wells,  very  large,  and  with  a 
bark  ladder  to  the  bottom.  We  are  not  in  a  region  of  much  game.  There  is  no 
water  here  for  game.  Buck  are  plenty.  Their  hides  retail  at  fifteen  shirt-but¬ 
tons  each. 

“  I  hope  to  reach  Umzila  in  sixteen  days.  May  God  hear  the  prayers  of  the 


14 


Mission  to  TJmzilas  Kingdom. 


American  Board  and  of  all  Christians,  and  give  his  word  a  speedy  entrance 
among  this  most  needy  people.” 

SUCCESS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

By  the  special  favor  of  Almighty  God  Mr.  Richards  succeeded  in  his  great 
undertaking.  He  penetrated  to  Umzila’s  capital,  laid  before  the  king  his  object, 
was  cordially  welcomed  and  requested  to  establish  a  Christian  mission  in  the 
country. 

He  returned  to  Inhambane  by  way  of  Chiluwan,  November  22,  and  December 
8  reached  Durban.  His  letter  from  Inhambane,  November  23,  and  his  more 
complete  report,  January  4,  1882,  from  Natal,  give  most  interesting  and  instruc¬ 
tive  particulars  of  his  journey  and  graphic  pictures  of  the  king  and  country. 

“  The  3d  of  July  being  Sunday,”  he  writes,  “  we  rested  and  held  services,  and 
on  July  4  (1881),  we  entered  Umzila’s  country,  and,  as  1  think,  took  it  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  While  you  were  celebrating  the  birthday  of  a  grand  old  gov¬ 
ernment  we  were  busily  engaged  in  discovering  favorable  symptoms  for  a  grand 
new  mission.  Some  of  the  real  difficulties  of  travel  in  Africa  manifested  them¬ 
selves  at  once.  Our  work  was  laid  out  one  half  way  between  the  coast  route, 
taken  by  Mr.  Pinkerton,  and  the  direct  route  from  Inhambane  to  Umzila’s.  The 
direct  route  was  abandoned  for  lack  of  water,  and  the  middle  route  ventured 
upon  for  a  period  of  three  days  from  the  Portuguese  lines.  We  met  with  no 
opposition  from  the  natives;  but  though  food  was  abundant  water  was  so  scarce 
and  so  impure  that  we  could  not  get  enough  to  use,  and  used  with  difficulty  what 
we  did  get. 

“  My  men  had  to  roast  their  corn  in  lieu  of  making  porridge,  and  we  could 
hardly  filter  enough  water  for  coffee.  The  donkeys  bravely  ignored  what  they 
could  not  obtain,  and  went  for  three  days  on  three  quarts  of  wrater  each.  Under 
these  circumstances  I  thought  best  to  turn  eastward  to  the  coast  route,  and  did 
so,  reaching  the  swamps  at  the  head  of  the  Gabula  River  in  two  days,  where  food 
and  water  were  in  grateful  abundance.  Food  was  supplied  gratis  through  the 
Portuguese  country,  but  now  it  was  sold  to  us  in  baskets  containing  about  one 
bushel  each,  or  in  goat  skins  of  the  same  capacity.  The  price  of  the  food  was 
the  same  whether  it  were  peanuts,  corn,  beans,  or  isindhlubas.  The  cost  in  this 
locality  was,  usually,  two  yards  check  or  four  yards  lopas,  both  thin  cotton  cloths, 
—  one  nine  pence  per  yard,  the  other  four  and  a  half  pence  per  yard.  Two  bas¬ 
kets  per  day  were  sufficient.  The  head  man  of  the  kraal  usually  gave  a  small 
dish  of  cimabele,  or  native  corn,  resembling  our  wheat.  Sometimes  a  basket  of 
corn  was  given,  or  a  couple  of  chickens,  or  a  dozen  of  eggs,  which  were  usually 
spoiled,  and  on  one  occasion  an  old  chief  made  the  extravagant  gift  of  fourteen 
dead  rats,  which  were  roasted  and  eaten  as  a  delicious  morsel  by  the  porters, 
who  seldom  tasted  meat  of  any  kind.  For  each  of  these  ‘  presents  ’  I  was  ex¬ 
pected  to  make  one  in  return,  and  occasionally  a  blanket  or  a  coat  or  a  ‘  piece  ’ 
of  cloth  (eight  yards)  was  demanded.  Ordinarily  a  knife  or  a  small  mirror  suf¬ 
ficed.” 

DELAYED  BY  SICKNESS. 

“  On  reaching  these  swamps  sickness  delayed  us  for  three  days.  William  of 
Inanda  was  out  for  a  hunt  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  he  was  taken 
with  the  fever,  the  symptoms  of  which  were  headache,  vomiting,  intense  heat, 


Mr.  Pinkerton’ s  G-rave. 


15 


and  diarrhoea.  Quinine  was  the  only  fever  medicine  I  had,  as  the  medicine- 
chest  had  been  lost  somewhere  in  the  ship  transportation.  [It  has  recently  ap¬ 
peared,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  committee  of  the  mission.]  Mr. 
Jourdan  went  out  for  a  hunt,  did  not  get  back  till  nine  p.  M.,  and  he  had  fever 
the  next  day.  Also  two  porters,  who  had  bathed  in  the  swamp,  were  taken  with 
fever.  However,  in  three  days’  time,  rest,  Dovers  powder,  and  quinine  had  re¬ 
paired  the  broken  health,  and  we  went  on  our  way.  Our  course  now  was  due 
north.  We  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  Gabula  River  and  to  the  eastward  of  three 
lakes  which  lie  spread  out  over  an  area  of  forty  miles  long  by  about  one  and  a  half 
or  two  miles  wide.  There  were  no  kraals  for  forty-four  miles,  and  we  traveled 
by  day  and  camped  out  at  night  beside  the  lake.  These  lakes  are  all  connected, 
and  in  the  rainy  season  they  empty  into  the  Gabula  River.  They  abound  in  fish, 
are  covered  with  geese  and  ducks,  while  a  myriad  of  antelope,  buffalo,  hippopot¬ 
ami,  and  other  game  nightly  visit  their  waters.  On  July  18th  we  reached  Bo¬ 
gota’s  kraal,  the  sad  terminus  of  the  former  expedition,  having  made  the  distance 
from  Inhambane  in  eighteen  days’  marching.  Mr.  Pinkerton  came  by  the  coast 
route  to  the  east  of  the  Gabula  River,  and  reached  the  same  point  in  sixteen 
days’  marching.” 

mr.  pinkerton’s  grave. 

“  Bogota,  an  old  man  of  eighty  years  and  upward,  was  formerly  chief  of  all  the 
territory  south  of  the  Limpopo  River.  But,  upon  Umzila’s  accession  to  the  head¬ 
ship  of  the  kingdom  Bogota  was  reduced  to  the  rank  of  a  common  Induna,  and 
he  now  rules  a  very  small  space  of  territory.  He  is  an  old  man,  and  exceedingly 
afraid  of  Umzila.  When  Mr.  Pinkerton  arrived  at  his  kraal,  Bogota  failed  to 
send  messengers  to  the  king,  and  for  this  breach  of  native  law  Umzila  sent  down 
and  took  away  two  of  his  wives.  He  asked  me  to  pay  for  his  lost  cattle,  his  wives 
being  valued  at  ten  head  of  oxen  each.  The  next  Induna  was  also  fined  simi- 
larly  for  not  sending  word  to  the  king  of  Mr.  Pinkerton’s  death,  and  I  was 
requested  to  remunerate  him.  I  answered  them  both  that  that  was  the  king’s 
business  and  none  of  mine.  The  hut  in  which  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  sick  was 
burned  down;  the  one  in  which  Mr.  Jourdan  stayed  was  removed,  and  the  ones 
in  which  the  porters  slept  were  deserted.  Mr.  Pinkerton  is  buried  fifty-two  miles 
from  the  head  of  the  Gabula,  and  thirty-four  miles  south  from  the  point  where  it 
makes  a  right  angle  to  the  eastward,  and  seventy-five  miles  from  the  Sabi,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  route.  I  did  not  visit  the  grave,  as  it  was  some  two  hours’  walk  and 
across  the  river,  and  the  sun  was  excessively  hot.  Bogota  told  me  that  the  mis¬ 
sionary  slept  in  peace,  and  that  the  ford  of  the  river  had  been  changed  so  as  not 
to  disturb  him. 

“  I  feel  that  here  I  ought  to  correct  certain  false  impressions  of  the  conduct  of 
Mr.  Pinkerton.  It  was  reported  that  his  expedition  was  poorly  equipped  and 
badly  provisioned.  I  took  the  same  purchasing  goods,  adding  nothing,  save  fifty 
pieces  lopas,  which  I  intended  as  a  present  to  Umzila ;  and  though  delayed 
beyond  all  expectation,  I  had  plenty  to  carry  me  through,  and  am  sure  Mr.  Pin¬ 
kerton  would  have  had  no  trouble.  He  had  calculated  more  wisely  than  he  knew, 
and  had  foreseen  one  important  item  for  which  the  committee  of  the  last  expedi¬ 
tion  had  made  no  provision,  namely,  food  for  the  porters,  which  bill  amounted  to 
upwards  of  £100.  In  regard  to  provisions  for  himself  I  cannot  write  so  hope¬ 
fully.  However,  I  think  he  had  thought  the  matter  through,  and  it  was  clear  in 


16 


Mission  to  Umzila' s  Kingdom. 


his  own  mind.  He  took  the  advice  of  many  men  at  Natal  and  Inhambane,  who 
declare  food  an  unnecessary  burden.  He  placed  confidence  in  his  gun  and  in  the 
word  of  friends,  and  went  his  way.  In  our  journey  we  found  the  country  full 
of  ducks  and  chickens,  a  crop  which  is  not  dependent  upon  the  clouds  as  are  the 
different  grains.  I  am  confident  there  was  food,  though  they  might  be  obliged  to 
send  men  out  some  distance  to  obtain  it.  We  met  with  districts  where  it  was 
necessary  to  dispatch  men  to  the  front  and  rear  for  daily  food.  Had  Mr.  Pinker¬ 
ton  been  well  he  would  doubtless  have  seen  his  way  clear.  Furthermore,  there 
was  returned  to  Inhambane  forty  pounds  of  flour,  eighty  pounds  crackers,  baking- 
powder,  butter,  curry-powder,  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  canned  fruits,  jams,  and  all  that 
one  would  need,  save  meat.  So  the  report  that  Mr.  Pinkerton,  or  any  other 
member  of  the  expedition,  suffered  from  hunger  I  regard  as  a  fabrication.  Neither 
do  I  think  Mr.  Pinkerton  could  have  been  poisoned,  as  reported,  by  eating  mag- 
wctkiva,  a  kind  of  apple  from  which,  some  say,  strichnine  is  extracted.  I  ate  it 
freely  with  no  perceptible  effect  save  that  it  satisfied  the  appetite.  Strychnine  is 
extracted,  if  at  all,  from  the  seeds,  which  are  so  hard  that  one  cannot  crush  them 
in  his  teeth,  aud  they  are  never  eaten,  so  fir  as  I  have  observed. 

“  The  distance  from  Inhambane  to  Bogota  the  way  we  came  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  miles.  We  made  it  in  eighteen  days.  Mr.  Pinkerton  came  direct  in 
sixteen  days,  the  distance  being  about  fifty  miles  less.  So  I  conclude  it  was  not 
forced  marches  that  caused  his  sickness.  But  from  experience  I  can  say  that  one 
day’s  march  in  a  November  sun,  amid  swamps  and  marshes,  is  quite  liable  to  give 
one  fever ;  and,  as  nearly  as  I  can  understand  the  case,  I  think  Mr.  Pinkerton 
died  from  fever  caused  by  exposure  in  the  sun.  Mr.  Pinkerton  is  also  charged 
with  being  unwise  in  journeying  inland  in  the  rainy  season.  But  I  venture  to 
say  that  any  ordinary  able-bodied  Christian  would  have  done  the  same  thing. 
Everything  was  ready.  The  Christian  people  at  home  were  enthusiastic,  the 
Home  Board  anxious,  the  Natal  Mission  hopeful,  £500  had  been  expended,  the 
rainy  season  was  not  considered  necessarily  fatal ;  and,  rather  than  return  to  report 
his  own  efforts  a  failure,  and  bring  to  naught  so  many  expectations  and  so  great 
an  outlay  of  funds,  he  chose  to  go  ahead  and  take  such  chances  as  a  kind  Provi¬ 
dence  should  throw  in  his  way.  Though  he  did  not  live  to  see  the  king,  and 
scarcely  to  view  the  land,  yet  his  name  will  rightfully  be  put  down  as  the  first 
corner-stone  of  that  which  is  to  be  in  the  new  mission.’’ 

APPROACHING  UMZILA. 

“  From  Bogota  we  followed  on  up  the  Gabula  three  days,  nearly  fifty  miles,  till 
we  reached  the  angle  where  it  turns  eastward  to  the  sea,  lat.  21°  15'  S.  (Baines). 
Here  we  turned  to  the  northwest,  and  in  about  three  hours  came  to  the  chief 
Induna  of  Umzila,  south  of  the  Sabi.  IBs  name  is  Masikewana,  a  fine  specimen 
of  the  Zulu  race,  very  dignified  and  grand  in  his  habitation,  and  here  we  were 
obliged  to  wait  until  a  message  was  sent  to  Umzila  and  one  received  from  the 
king.  We  were  told  this  would  take  ten  days.  It  took  thirty-seven  days,  and  all 
the  time  my  porters  were  eating  away  my  cloth.  I  made  the  chief  a  present  of 
a  fine  blanket,  and  he  gave  me  food  in  abundance.  Food  was  plentiful  and  at 
quite  reasonable  prices  at  Masikewana’s.  The  average  cost  per  day  was  seventy- 
five  cents,  or  one  and  a  half  cents  per  man.  Each  morning  my  door  was  sur¬ 
rounded  with  from  twelve  to  twenty  persons  who  wished  medicine.  Tooth  pulling 


The  King's  Kraal . 


IT 


was  quite  a  novelty,  and  several  teeth  were  extracted  with  the  wonderful  machine 
which  would  take  them  out  in  a  moment.  The  native  dentist  dUs  the  tooth  out 
with  an  iron  spear,  often  working  for  hours  and  lacerating  the  victim  to  an  extent 
almost  unimaginable. 

“  Time  dragged  its  slow  length  along  until  the  thirty-seventh  day  had  come, 
when  the  messengers  returned  at  five  o’clock  in  the  morning.  Masikewana  im¬ 
mediately  called  a  council  to  hear  the  report,  and  in  due  time  we  were  told  that 
Umzila  was  favorable,  and  that  we  should  go  ahead  at  once.  We  required  no 
urging,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  August  (Saturday)  we  started.  We 
were  delayed  by  sickness  of  men  two  days,  and  reached  the  Sabi  safely  Friday 
noon,  the  2d  of  September.  We  struck  the  Sabi  at  Shibasan.  Here  the  banks 
were  very  high,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  (according  to  Baines),  and  the  river  two 
hundred  yards  wide  and  five  feet  deep.  The  deep,  narrow  valley  of  the  river, 
the  clear  open  waters  of  the  Sabi,  and  the  foliage  which  crowned  the  crest  of  the 
steep  and  rocky  banks  was  a  most  refreshing  sight.  Here  was  the  first  pure  and 
plenteous  water  we  had  seen  since  we  passed  the  lakes,  seventy-five  miles  below. 
All  this  was  in  pleasant  contrast  with  the  Gabula,  a  river  which  was  a  sluggish, 
muddy  stream,  fifteen  yards  wide.  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  far  from 
the  coast  Shibasan  is  situated,  but  think  it  is  about  forty  miles.  The  natives  said 
one  day’s  travel  without  a  load.  We  journeyed  three  days  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Sabi ;  then  crossed  for  one  day,  and  the  next  day  crossed  and  recrossed  again, 
the  cause  being  that  the  path  was  mostly  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  the  channel 
drove  us  from  one  side  to  the  other.  We  came  to  Sandabas  on  the  7th  of  Sep¬ 
tember  (this  is  the  place  from  which  Benningfield  and  Erskine  branched  off  for 
Umzila’s)  ;  but  we  were  so  afraid  of  a  poor  water  supply  that  we  followed  the 
river  thirty-three  miles  further,  and  then  made  direct  for  the  king’s  kraal,  having 
followed  the  Sabi  for  a  distance  of  ninety-two  miles.  Our  path  now  lay  through 
a  dense  rubber  jungle,  and  rocks  and  hills  became  abundant,  and  also  little 
ravines  which  caused  much  inconvenience  to,  both  men  and  donkeys.  We  found 
food  and  water  to  be  very  scarce  when  we  left  the  river,  and  they  continued  so 
until  we  reached  Chiluwan  on  our  return.  We  got  on,  however,  without  serious 
difficulty ;  emerging  from  the  thorny  wilderness  we  came  to  a  beautiful  country, 
the  land  rising  higher  and  higher  every  hour  of  our  march,  with  clear  fresh  water, 
which  at  this  time  was  the  greatest  luxury.  Saturday  afternoon,  September  17, 
we  reached  Umlas,  a  small  village  on  a  high  hill,  twenty-eight  miles  from  Umzila’s 
kraal.  Here  I  was  taken  quite  suddenly  with  fever.  The  fever  did  not  continue 
for  more  than  three  or  four  hours,  but  a  dysentery  set  in  which  confined  me  to 
my  bed  for  twenty  days  in  a  hut  recently  used  for  a  goat-shed,  and  nearly  ex¬ 
hausted  me.  My  men  told  me,  ‘Africa  no  good,  Umfundis  die.’  But  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  was  under  me  all  the  time.  I  was  able  to  sit  on  my  donkey,  and, 
though  very  weak,  reached  Umzila’s  in  one  day’s  march  of  twenty-two  miles.  The 
march  did  me  good,  and  on  October  10  I  fired  my  good-morning  salute  of  six 
guns  at  1  Umoyamuhle,’  Umzila’s  royal  residence.  The  name  of  Umzila  among 
the  natives  is  Uyamondwa.  His  subjects  never  call  him  by  his  right  name.  The 
name  of  his  kraal  is  Umoyamuhle,  i.  e.,  ‘a  haven  of  fair  winds.’  It  is  on  an 
extensive  plain,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mligwayatna  River.  The  plain  is  fif¬ 
teen  hundred  feet  high  by  my  aneroid,  which  gave  the  same  as  Baines’s.  White 
men  are  not  allowed  within  the  royal  harem,  and  we  were  obliged  to  pitch  our 


18 


Mission  to  Umzila' s  Kingdom. 


tent  under  a  big  tree  in  a  meallie  garden.  The  king  gave  permission  for  us  to 
settle  where  we  liked,  and  sent  four  pots  of  pombe  and  two  goats  for  our  morning 
meal.  He  also  deputized  Induna  Uhlakauhlaka  to  convey  messages  to  us.” 

INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  KING. 

“Erskine,  Owen,  and  Benningfield,  who  had  visited  Umzila,  informed  me  that  I 
would  not  see  the  king  under  four  days’  time  after  my  arrival.  But  at  four  p.  m.  of 
the  first  day  he  sent  word  that  he  was  ready  for  an  interview.  Uhlakauhlaka  had 
given  instructions  how  to  divide  the  presents,  and,  taking  such  as  he  had  indi¬ 
cated,  we  set  out  to  meet  the  king.  Being  unable  to  walk,  or  scarcely  to  stand,  I 
rode  a  donkey.  We  found  the  king  with  one  Induna,  his  only  body  guard,  sitting 
under  a  tree  not  far  from  his  kraal.  My  hoy  spread  a  fine  blue  blanket  before 
the  king  for  him  to  sit  on,  hut  he  refused,  saying  the  ground  was  accustomed  to 
him.  The  Induna  saluted  us  all  for  Umzila,  and  immediately  I  began  laying  the 
business  of  our  coming  before  the  king.  John  Pohleni  acted  as  interpreter. 
Umzila  gave  excellent  attention  to  all  that  was  said  from  first  to  last.  He  is  the 
finest  looking  black  man  I  have  ever  seen.  His  face  is  full  of  intelligence,  and 
is  genuinely  pleasant.  He  is  tall,  somewhat  spare  in  flesh,  yet  he  is  well  propor¬ 
tioned,  and  might  be  called  a  handsome  gentleman  in  any  country,  —  if  gentlemen 
ever  are  handsome.  I  began  by  stating  wdiere  I  came  from  and  who  sent  me, 
and  called  his  attention  to  the  Natal  mission,  and  the  fact  that  he  already  knew 
much  of  missionary  enterprise.  Then  I  mentioned  the  good  which  it  was  hoped 
would  accrue,  both  spiritually  and  temporally,  from  a  mission  in  his  land,  and 
that  I  had  been  sent  on  purpose  to  take  back  his  permission  for  the  missionary 
to  come  and  begin  labors  among  his  people.  Umzila  then  asked  the  name  of  our 
king,  and  of  the  Indunas  who  sent  me.  I  gave  the  name  of  President  Garfield, 
and  described  our  government;  and  for  Indunas  gave  the  names  of  the  officers  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  and  of  the  members  of  the  Prudential  Committee. 

“  The  king  could  not  understand  how  I  knew  so  much  of  Natal,  but  the  matter 
was  duly  explained.  He  then  inquired  after  Cetewayo.  I  reported  him  well  and 
safe,  and  that  I  hoped  to  see  him  soon  returned  to  Zululand. 

“  The  sun  had  now  set  and  the  king  reminded  me  that  it  was  time  to  go.  So 
I  bade  him  good-by,  shaking  hands  with  him,  and  he  promising  to  call  me  again 
as  soon  as  his  chief  Induna,  Magajou,  should  come. 

“  On  the  next  day  it  stormed  violently,  but  the  king  did  not  forget  us,  for  about 
eleven  A.  M.  he  sent  down  four  bullocks,  bidding  us  take  our  choice  for  one  to 
slaughter.  The  day  after  he  sent  two  tusks  of  ivory  to  say  ‘good  morning’  with  ; 
one  weighed  twenty  pounds  and  the  other  six  pounds.  This  was  Tuesday,  and  it 
rained  till  Friday. 

“  On  Saturday  Umzila  sent  word  that  he  would  see  me,  but  other  important 
business  took  him  away,  and  in  the  evening  I  sent  word  that  I  could  not  see  him 
on  Sunday.  On  Monday,  at  six  a.  m.,  he  sent  for  me,  and  I  went,  and  found  him 
on  a  mound  just  in  front  of  the  gate  to  his  kraal.  After  the  usual  salutations 
the  king  asked  me  to  repeat  what  I  had  previously  told  him,  so  that  Magajou, 
who  was  now  present,  should  hear.  I  did  so.  Then  many  questions  were  put 
on  many  subjects.  Could  I  pull  teeth  ?  Could  I  put  them  back  again  ?  Could 
I  cure  various  diseases  ?  Could  I  make  powder  ?  This  latter  question  he  dis¬ 
cussed  at  length.  I  finally  agreed  to  tell  them  how  it  was  made,  but  they  must 


Return  to  the  Coast. 


19 


find  the  ingredients  and  do  the  work  themselves.  Magajou  was  quite  imperious 
about  the  powder,  and  made  it  a  sine  qua  non  of  our  returning.  He  said  he 
must  be  taught  to  make  powder  first,  then  we  could  go  on  with  our  ordinary 
work.  But  Umzila  had  previously  indicated  his  own  mind  by  asking  that  when 
I  came  again  I  should  bring  so  and  so.  Furthermore  he  did  not  insist  on  our 
bringing  powder  so  much  as  on  bringing  our  wives.  He  wished  us  to  come  to 
stay,  if  we  came  at  all.  Then  there  was  a  show  of  the  presents,  and  further  busi¬ 
ness  was  delayed  for  the  time.  The  thing  for  which  the  king  was  most  grateful 
was  an  old  copy  of  the  Testament,  much  used  by  Mr.  Pinkerton  on  his  expedi¬ 
tion.  He  sent  a  special  messenger  four  different  times,  through  a  heavy  rain,  to 
thank  me  for  the  book. 

“  Blankets  that  had  red  in  them  were  rejected  or  given  to  his  children.  Red 
being  a  royal  color  could  not  be  given  away  out  of  the  king’s  family.  Knives, 
forks,  plates,  candles,  matches,  etc.,  were  received  with  favor.  Coats  and  blan¬ 
kets  were  given  away  on  the  spot  to  Indunas  and  friends.  When  the  presents 
had  all  been  bestowed,  the  king  sent  a  boy  to  carry  a  forty-pound  tusk  to  my 
tent  for  a  ‘  good-by  tusk.’  He  then  told  me  I  could  report  that  he  would  receive 
five  missionaries  and  their  wives,  and  wished  them  to  come  as  quickly  as  possible. 
We  had  a  final  shaking  of  hands,  and  the  king  went  away  to  invoke  the  various 
spirits  to  bless  his  meallie  gardens,  while  I  returned  to  the  tent  and  prepared  the 
boxes  for  the  return  trip.  During  the  day  Magajou  came  down  to  bid  us  good- 
by,  and  took  home  with  him  a  present  of  a  blanket,  one  pound  of  powder,  and 
one  bar  of  lead.  He  was  quite  friendly  and  was  anxious  to  have  us  return  soon.” 

RETURN  TO  THE  COAST. 

“  Early  in  the  morning  of  October  18  the  porters  had  adjusted  their  loads 
and  we  had  begun  our  homeward  march.  We  had  gone  fourteen  miles  when  a 
delegation  of  four  men,  sent  out  by  Umzila,  came  up  to  pilot  us  through  to  Makupi, 
a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  This  was  an  entirely  unexpected  favor.  The  men 
were  very  pleasant  in  all  their  relations  with  us,  and  often  supplied  food  which 
we  should  not  have  got  had  they  not  been  the  king’s  officers.  We  had  no  diffi¬ 
culty  in  reaching  Makupi,  a  chief  of  great  importance  and  extensive  command. 
This  is  where  Captain  Wybrants  died.  The  place  is  in  a  line  due  east  from  Um¬ 
zila,  and  five  days  from  the  Sabi  River.  The  water  is  so  scarce  here  that  Maku- 
pi’s  wives  are  obliged  to  go  a  distance  of  four  and  a  half  miles  to  obtain  a  supply 
for  their  daily  wants.  We  reached  the  place  at  10  A.  m.,'  on  October  22,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  we  met  Mr.  W.  J.  Mayes,  engineer  of  the  late 
Wybrants’  expedition.  He  had  been  commissioned  by  the  English  consul  of 
Mozambique  to  bring  the  remains  of  the  late  Captain  Wybrants  to  Zanzibar,  and 
was  now  on  his  way  to  Makupi.  Mr.  Mayes  had  been  accused  of  having  taken 
the  goods  of  the  Wybrants  party,  and  sold  them  on  his  own  account.  I  found 
his  jmpers  satisfactory,  and  the  ‘  canons,’  as  the  natives  called  them,  are  at  Um- 
zila’s  now,  namely,  about  fifty  loads  of  flour,  sugar,  etc.,  sealed  in  iron  tubes,  of 
the  contents  of  which  I  have  a  complete  list.  These  goods  will  be  left  for  us  to 
examine  and  purchase,  probably  at  reasonable  rates.  Mr.  Mayes  went  to  Makupi, 
but  a  Mr.  Heathcoat  of  iuhambane  had  preceded  him  by  a  few  days,  and 
the  body  had  already  been  removed.  Mr.  Mayes  then  resolved  to  go  back  to 


20 


Mission  to  Umzilas  Kingdom. 


Chiluwan  with  us,  and  for  valuable  services  rendered  on  the  way  I  took  him  on 
to  Natal,  as  he  was  without  money  and  friendless. 

“  On  our  first  day’s  march,  after  meeting  Mr.  Mayes,  we  made  an  error  in  cal¬ 
culating  the  distance,  and  the  result  was  quite  a  serious  attack  of  sun  fever,  which 
fell  to  my  lot.  We  started  at  2  A.  m.,  and  at  8  a.  m.  reached  water  and  a  kraal, 
and  ought  to  have  stopped  for  the  day  ;  but  after  inquiry  we  thought  we  could 
make  the  next  kraal  by  11a.  m.,  and  so  decided  to  move  on.  But  the  kraal  did' 
not  appear  till  4  p.  m.  The  sun  was  very  hot,  and  I  became  baked  to  quite  an 
uncomfortable  extent.  The  fever  did  not  last  long,  but  its  effects  reduced  me 
seriously,  and  I  was  carried  to  Chiluwan  in  a  shilah  or  hammock.  Food  and 
water  were  very  scarce.  We  kept  to  the  north  of  the  Sabi  all  the  way;  did  not 
go  within  twenty  miles  of  the  river.  The  mouth  of  the  Sabi  is  some  twenty-five 
miles  below  Chiluwan  instead  of  above  it,  as  Baines  has  put  it.  We  were  cordially 
received  at  Chiluwan,  November  3,  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Pinto,  and  during  our  stay  of 
seven  days  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  make  us  comfortable.  Governor  Continho 
also  showed  us  many  favors  and  promised  to  aid  us  in  every  way  within  his  power. 
For  twenty-five  pounds  we  hired  a  small  boat  called  a  baroquine,  sufficient  to  take 
us  and  our  goods  to  Inhambane,  but  not  the  porters  or  the  donkeys.  The  por¬ 
ters  were  supplied  with  cloth  with  which  to  purchase  food,  and  sent  overland  to 
Inhambane.  The  donkeys  were  sold.  I  was  the  recipient  of  many  presents  at 
Chiluwan  and  also  at  Inhambane. 

“  November  10  we  left  Chiluwan  and  touched  at  Bazuruta  Island  on  the 
12th,  where  the  commandant  entertained  us  most  hospitably  and  hoped  we  could 
call  there  on  our  return.  We  reached  Inhambane  the  17th  of  November,  where 
Mr.  Scbippers  gave  us  free  entertainment.  He  is  agent  of  the  British  India 
Steamship  Company,  and  also  of  the  Holland  Trading  Company,  and  last  season 
the  American  Zulu  Mission  made  him  their  agent  at  Inhambane.  Here  I  learned 
that  three  Catholic  priests  who  entered  the  port  of  Sofala  on  their  way  to  Umzi- 
la’s  had  all  died  at  Sofala,  and  that  two  priests  who  came  in  toward  Umzila’s  from 
the  west  were  also  dead.  This  I  learned  on  Catholic  authority,  and  do  not  doubt 
its  probability. 

“  After  a  pleasant  stay  of  eight  days  we  left  Inhambane  on  the  schooner 
‘  Sara  ’  for  Natal,  where  we  arrived  safely  December  1,  after  a  smooth  passage 
of  six  days. 

“  I  sold  provisions  to  the  value  of  sixteen  pounds  to  the  captain  of  the  ‘  Sara,’ 
and  at  Chiluwan  and  Inhambane  I  paid  the  customary  prices  of  board  for  all  of 
our  party  out  of  provisions  and  cloth,  unused  in  the  interior,  although  the  board 
was  offered  gratis.  This  I  did  lest  it  might  be  reported  that  this  expedition  was 
also  ‘  close-fisted.’  A  full  account  of.all  gifts  presented  or  received  will  be  found 
among  the  treasurer’s  bills.” 

RESULTS  AND  SUGGESTIONS  FROM  THE  JOURNEY. 

“  I  will  now  mention  a  few  points  which  have  not  been  noticed  heretofore.  In 
regard  to  my  companion,  Mr.  Jourdan,  I  must  say  that  during  my  sickness  he  was 
most  attentive,  and  usually  he  was  quite  companionable.  Of  John  Pohleni  and 
William  of  Inanda  I  can  say  nothing  but  good.  They  preached  at  every  kraal 
from  Inhambane  to  the  Sabi,  and  from  there  onward  they  did  much  service  for 
the  Master.  John  went  ahead  and  made  arrangements  for  food,  while  William 


21 


Results  and  Suggestions  from  the  Journey. 

was  my  right-hand  man  for  all  circumstances.  As  soon  as  we  camped  they  both 
called  together  groups  of  natives  and  read  the  Bible,  and  sang  and  talked  till 
supper  was  ready. 

“  The  porters  were  exceedingly  well  behaved.  Several  times  they  went  from 
sunrise  of  one  day  till  9  or  10  p.  m.  of  the  next  without  food,  save  such  as  they 
could  pick  from  bushes  by  the  way,  and  they  never  came  to  me  with  complaints. 
They  chose  the  route,  and  when  food  was  wanting  they  held  their  peace,  took  an 
early  start  in  the  morning,  and  went  till  they  found  it.  They  carried  their  sixty 
pounds  each  for  a  distance  of  825  miles  for  $7.50.  This  was  paid  them  in 
cloth. 

“The  donkeys  proved  themselves  to  be  all  that  could  have  been  expected. 
They  ate  but  little,  drank  little,  gained  in  flesh,  and  would  carry  a  man  twenty- 
five  miles  in  a  day.  They  were  slow  in  their  movements  and  would  not  keep  up 
with  the  porters,  but  we  all  came  together  on  the  halts  that  were  made  at  every 
shade-tree  and  watering-place.  They  were  stung  by  the  tsetse  several  times 
without  any  visible  effects.  I  washed  them  in  ammonia,  however,  every  morning 
while  passing  through  the  fly  district. 

“  The  country  from  the  Portuguese  lines  to  the  Sabi  is  almost  a  dead  level. 
We  saw  no  hills,  but  one  river,  the  Chipumbi,  before  reaching  the  Gabula;  no 
rocks,  no  stones,  no  large  trees,  nothing  but  grass  twelve  feet  high,  or  paths 
through  the  ashes  where  the  grass  had  been  burned.  There  is  little  or  no  water 
away  from  the  rivers,  and  the  land  seems  almost  uninhabitable.  On  the  banks 
of  the  rivers  are  flourishing  fields  of  native  crops.  Cotton  grows  wild,  and  in 
goodly  quantity. 

“  The  Sabi  valley  is  one  delightful  garden  ;  sweet  potatoes,  peanuts,  corn,  ama- 
bele,  pumpkins,  beans,  and  izindhloon  being  the  chief  products. 

“  After  leaving  the  Sabi  the  country  was  rocky  and  covered  with  underbrush 
and  thorns.  Emerging  from  this  we  gradually  ascended  until  we  reached  the 
plain  on  which  Umoyamuhle  is  situated.  My  aneroid,  as  does  that  of  Mr. 
Baines,  marks  this  plain  at  fifteen  hundred  feet.  Just  across  the  little  river,  at 
the  back  of  Umzila’s  kraal,  the  hills  rise  from  one  thousand  eight  hundred  to  four 
thousand  feet  high,  extending  north  to  Mt.  Tshamatshama.  Umoyamuhle  is 
to  the  south  of  a  range  of  hills,  which  are  south  of  the  Umswaliza  River.  This 
whole  Umzila  district  very  much  resembles  Natal  in  hills,  bush,  and  climate,  and 
no  doubt  the  same  crops  will  grow  here  as  in  Natal.  I  consider  this  whole  range 
of  territory  as  healthful  and  inviting  to  missionary  enterprise. 

“  From  Umzila’s,  to  the  eastward,  we  descended  till  we  reached  Makupi,  and 
from  there  to  the  coast  the  country  consists  of  vast  level  plains.  Makupi  is  situ¬ 
ated  in  a  dense  rubber  bush  which  is  eighty  miles  through.  From  this  rubber 
bush  to  the  coast  food  and  water  were  very  scarce,  and  the  kraals  far  apart. 
There  were  large  herds  of  antelope,  buffalo,  and  eland,  but  it  required  an  expe¬ 
rienced  huntsman  to  secure  any  game.  The  herds  remain  in  the  center  of  a 
large  plain,  and  when  disturbed  they  do  not  leave  the  plain  but  caper  about  in  it, 
and  always  just  out  of  range  of  the  best  gun  made.  Wherever  game  is  found 
the  tsetse  fly  abounds.  This  destructive  little  creature,  with  his  wings  folded 
like  a  pair  of  scissors,  resembles  an  ironclad  monitor  in  appearance,  and  in  oper¬ 
ations,  too,  for  that  matter.  Our  dog  lived  till  we  reached  Umlaus,  having  passed 
the  fly  district  in  safety.  But  it  was  of  no  avail,  for  at  Umlaus  he  was  devoured 
by  a  leopard. 


22 


Mission  to  Umzila  s  Kingdom. 


“  I  found  the  people  to  be  most  numerous  in  the  Portuguese  territory,  and  the 
next  most  populous  district  was  the  region  of  the  Sabi,  and  after  this  Umzila’s 
vicinity.  There  are,  however,  an  abundance  of  people  within  reach  of  missionary 
efforts  in  any  of  these  localities.  On  the  Sabi  and  beyond,  the  kraals  contained 
either  eight,  sixteen,  twenty-four,  or  thirty-two  huts,  according  to  the  wealth  of 
the  head  man  of  the  kraal.  The  kraals  are  as  near  together  on  the  Sabi  as  in 
the  Portuguese  region,  but  not  so  prosperous.  They  are  in  these  places  from 
four  to  six  miles  apart.  At  Umzila’s,  after  leaving  a  few  clusters  of  huts  close  to 
the  royal  kraal,  on  going  eastward  it  is  fourteen  miles  to  the  first  kraal,  fourteen 
miles  more  to  the  second,  and  on  an  average  from  Umzila’s  to  the  coast  the  kraals 
are  nineteen  miles  apart.  To  the  north  and  west  of  Umzila’s,  I  am  told  that  the 
kraals  are  much  thicker  than  to  the  south  and  east.  All  the  people  were  far 
better  clothed  than  in  Natal.  The  men  dress  in  skins  alone,  and  are  well  covered 
from  the  hips  to  the  ktiees.  Often  a  fine  skin  covers  the  body  from  the  should¬ 
ers  to  the  feet,  both  before  and  behind.  The  women  also  were  clad  from  the 
hips  to  the  knees,  but  with  cloth  instead  of  skins.  To  one  traveling  through 
the  country,  native  modesty  in  both  men  and  women  seemed  to  be  strictly  re¬ 
garded.  If  the  porters  wanted  water  or  wood  day  or  night,  two  or  more  always 
went  together,  —  one  to  report  any  misdemeanors.  If  men  and  women  went  at 
the  same  time  for  water  the  two  parties  were  totally  oblivious  of  each  other’s 
presence.  So  far  as  I  could  judge,  I  would  that  the  civilized  of  Natal  were  more 
like  the  heathen  of  Umzila’s  land  in  matters  of  dress  and  propriety. 

“  The  people  from  Inhambane  upwards  build  quite  fine  huts.  They  are  usually 
about  fourteen  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  as  high  as  they  are  wide,  and  with  an 
upright  wall  six  feet  high,  and  floor  and  wall  cemented  with  white  ant  clay.  The 
door  resembles  a  woodchuck’s  hole  more  than  an  aperture  for  human  beings  to 
enter. 

“  The  people  have  an  idea  of  a  creator,  not  altogether  incorrect  so  far  as  it 
goes.  They  call  him  the  Nkulunkulu,  the  ‘  Great  Great.’  The  creation  of  the 
world  and  the  headship  of  all  power  is  ascribed  to  him,  but  in  a  very  general  and 
quite  indefinite  manner.  Superstitions  of  various  kinds  are  denoted  by  the  bones 
and  skulls  of  animals  hung  up  in  the  trees  of  a  kraal  as  tutelary  deities.  The 
people  have  an  idea,  probably  obtained  from  Natal,  that  it  is  not  well  to  work 
on  Sunday.  They  do  not  observe  the  Sabbath,  however,  unless  it  is  con¬ 
venient. 

“  The  people  are  divided  into  two  classes,  the  Amatonga  (the  original  owners 
of  the  country,  but  now  the  plebeians),  and  the  Amanguni  (the  Zulu  lords  with 
Umzila  for  their  chief),  who  wrested  the  land  from  the  Amatonga.  Umzila  con¬ 
trols  the  Amatonga,  who  are  in  the  large  majority,  by  placing  an  Amanguni  for 
a  chief  over  every  five  or  six  kraals.  This  prevents  amalgamation  and  sudden 
revolts.  The  Amanguni  speak  the  pure  Zulu.  The  Amatonga  have  a  dialect  of 
their  own,  but  are  quite  familiar  with  the  Zulu,  though  they  do  not  use  it.  Zulu 
is  the  court  language  of  the  kingdom.  Umzila  collects  skins  for  taxes  from  all 
his  people.  Ilis  system  is  good  though  extreme,  as  he  takes  away  anything  he 
can  find  in  the  way  of  skins,  save  what  the  people  wear  at  the  time  of  taxing. 
These  taxes  sustain  his  army  while  in  the  field.  All  his  able-bodied  men  are  sol¬ 
diers,  though  they  live  at  home.  They  are  a  kind  of  minute  militia-men.  The 
Portuguese  soldiers  of  Chiluwan  and  Inhambane  are  nearly  all  mep  who  have 


Results.  —  Thermometric  Markings. 


23 


served  in  Umzila’s  army.  The  Governor  of  Chiluwan  said  that  he  dare  not  take 
them  to  the  main  land  lest  they  turn  traitors  and  fight  for  Umzila.  Chiluwan  and 
Inhambane  have  each  about  two  hundred  of  this  royal  kind  of  soldiers. 

“  The  scientific  instruments  which  I  had  were  all  satisfactory.  I  have  no  rea¬ 
son  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  the  pedometer,  though  it  made  our  walking  distance 
825  miles.  The  path  was  always  serpentine,  and  we  often  went  in  a  zigzag  direc¬ 
tion  across  the  country  to  find  food  and  water  or  to  avoid  bush  and  swamps.' 
The  markings  of  the  thermometer  are  given  elsewhere. 

“  Divine  Providence  was  round  about  us  from  the  first  to  the  last.  There  was 
but  little  sickness  ;  we  were  not  obliged  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath  save  once  only, 
and  then  for  lack  of  water ;  food  and  water  came  to  hand  before  the  hour  of  ex¬ 
treme  need  ;  the  king’s  heart  was  softened  and  he  granted  our  request ;  provision 
was  made  for  our  transport  where  we  least  expected  it,  and  all  things  were  made 
ready  before  us,  where  human  agency  seemed  unavailing. 

“  Thanks  be  to  God  for  all  his  mercies.  And  now  that  the  way  is  opened,  let 
us  unite  in  prayer  to  the  Divine  Master  for  good  and  faithful  men  to  enter  in  and 
reap  the  harvest  of  souls  for  the  kingdom  above.” 


“Blessed  are  they  that  do  IIis  Commandments.” 


MARKING  OF  THERMOMETER  AT  UMZILA’S  KRAAL. 

The  record  for  June  is  copied  from  Mr.  W  ■  J.  Mayes. 


Date. 

Morning. 

Noon. 

Night. 

Date. 

Morning. 

Noon. 

Night. 

1881. 

1881. 

June  1 

60° 

62° 

,  - 

Oct.  1 1 

60° 

78° 

60° 

2 

62 

72 

70° 

12 

68 

7°  )  . 

70 

3 

60 

72 

60 

13 

64 

68  /  muCIi 

68 

4 

54 

68 

53 

14 

62 

i  rain. 

65 

5 

54 

80 

60 

15 

70 

78 

70 

6 

54 

89 

60 

16 

80 

90 

86 

7 

60 

90 

60 

8 

60 

84 

60 

9 

60 

90 

60 

10 

60 

80 

60 

11 

60 

84 

60 

24 


Mission  to  UmziloL  s  Kingdom 


TABULAR  VIE  AY  OF  DAILY  DISTANCES  TRAVELED. 


From  Inhambane  to  Umzila’s. 

■  1881.  MILES. 

June  24 . 15 

25  . •  ....  10 

26  Sunday . 0 

27  . 15 

28  . 24 

29  . 9 

;io . 13 

July  1 . 12 

2  . 7 

3  Sunday.  105  miles  from  In- 

hambane . 0 

4  Reached  limits  of  Portuguese 

territory . 23 

5  . 15 

6  . 18.6 

7  . . 15 

8  . 12.6 

9 . 17.4 

10  Sunday . 0 

11  Reached  the  Gabula  River  .  .  5.8 

12  William  sick . 0 

13  Four  men  sick . 0 

14  . 12 

15  . 18 

16  . 12.6 

17  Sunday . 0 

18  Arrived  at  Bogota,  255.8  miles 

from  Inhambane  ....  10.8 

19  . 12 

20  . 1 1 .4 

21  Leave  the  Gabula  River  and 

arrive  at  Masikevvan  ...  12 

Aug.  27  Leave  Masikewan . 12.6 

28  Sunday . 0 

29  Men  sick . 0 

30  Men  sick . 0 

31  . 13.2 

Sept.  1 . 20.4 

2  Reached  the  Sabi  River,  337.4 

miles  from  Inhambane  .  .  16.8 

3  . 12.2 

4  Sunday . 0 

5  Crossed  Sabi  River  ....  16.2 


6  Crossed  Sabi  River  twice,  Son- 


daba . 13.8 

7  . 22.4 

8  . 10.2 

9  Left  the  River  Sabi  ....  1 2.6 

10  . 19.2 

1 1  Sunday . 0 

12  . 22.8 

13  . 7.6 

14  . 23.8 

15  . 6 

16  . 16.8 

17  Reached  Umlaus.  Sick  here 

twenty  days . 12 

Oct.  8 . 22 

9  Sunday  .  0 

10  Arrived  at  Umzila’s  ....  6 

Total  distance .  577.8 

Days  traveled,  41. 


From  Umzila’s  to  Chiluwan. 


1881.  MILES. 

Oct.  18 . 14.4 

19  . 22.4 

20  . 19.8 

21  . 14.8 

22  Arrived  and  left  Mkupi  ...  18 

23  Sunday . 0 

24  . 24 

25  Sick  here . 0 

26  . 23 

27  . 0 

28  . 14 

29  . 21 

30.  Sunday.  No  water  ....  20 

31 . 27 

Nov.  1 . 21 

2  Arrived  at  the  coast  ....  1 7 

Total  distance . 246 

Days  traveled,  13. 

Whole  number  of  miles,  824. 


Whole  number  of  days  traveled,  54. 
Average  number  of  miles  per  day,  15-jU 


/■ 


